Website transformation

Apr102018

In 2017 in Great Britain, 78% of all adults used the internet ‘on the go’, that is, away from home or work, using a mobile or smartphone, portable computer or other handheld device. For adults aged 16 to 24 years, that percentage increased to 98%.

Royal Holloway’s current website was created in 2010 and, while it’s been improved over the years, the site is difficult to navigate and out of step with our expectations of mobile compatibility. Recognising the site’s limitations, over the last year, Marketing and Communications and IT have been working to create a new site. Work has been progressing well and the new site should be live by the end of May.

The new site will be optimised for mobile devices, helping us to compete in a digital world. Its primary audience is prospective students and their influencers however, it will also provide a modern and engaging window into our College for current and potential supporters, such as alumni, donors, funders and research collaborators.

Following an extensive content audit, the new site will much smaller when it goes live, down from some 14,000 pages to circa 2,000. For go live, the team has prioritised the most important content. While it is expected that, over time, more content will be added, this will be according to an agreed governance model. A new content management system will help make adding and managing content easier.

James Dodd, Head of Digital, will take colleagues through the look and feel of the site via a live stream presentation on Wednesday 18 April. Further details can be found below. More information about the site and go live will be shared closer to the time.